High primers. Help needed.

[hawkeye10]

I am using "new" Lake City .223 brass with no crimp and my primers are about 1/1000th high on most of the shells that I have primed. I am using a RCBS Universal hand priming tool. I measured the primer pocket depth of the Lake City brass and some Remington brass and the pockets aren't as deep as the primers are thick. By the way I am loading these for a bolt gun. "Please" I need help or opinions about this. Don

 

[LiveLife]

You are measuring the primers with the anvil feet sticking out below the cup. When you seat the primer, you will feel the first resistance which is the bottom of the anvil feet hitting the bottom of the primer pockets (I think this is where you are stopping to get high primers).

When you continue to seat the primer, the anvil feet will be pushed inside the primer cup as the anvil tip gets "set" against the priming compound and this is the second resistance I feel when I hand prime.

I reload LC, RP, FC, Winchester, PMC, etc. head stamp cases and can seat SR/.223 primers to .004" below flush. I consider properly seated primers to be .004" below flush and explain why in this post -
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7813399#post7813399

 

[LiveLife]

BTW, if LC brass still has primer pocket crimp, it will prevent full seating of primers.

 

[hawkeye10]

You are measuring the primers with the anvil feet sticking out below the cup. When you seat the primer, you will feel the first resistance which is the bottom of the anvil feet hitting the bottom of the primer pockets (I think this is where you are stopping to get high primers).

When you continue to seat the primer, the anvil feet will be pushed inside the primer cup as the anvil tip gets "set" against the priming compound and this is the second resistance I feel when I hand prime.

I reload LC, RP, FC, Winchester, PMC, etc. head stamp cases and can seat SR/.223 primers to .004" below flush. I consider properly seated primers to be .004" below flush and explain why in this post -
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7813399#post7813399

Thanks for the excellent post BDS. Very informative. I am using new LC brass so there is no primer crimp to deal with. I had primed 100 rounds of 223 and loaded 50 of them so I went back and reseated the primers I hadn't loaded. I did get them seated but had to put a lot of pressure on my RCBS Universal hand priming tool to get them seated. I am new to rifle reloading but have been loading hand gun ammo for over 30 years and I always used a hand priming tool with no problems. Do you think it might be the RCBS priming tool that is giving me some problem? Don

 

[LiveLife]

When I am seating SR primers, it will take firm two thumb pressure on the Lee XR hand primer and extra firm pressure for .223 primers. Compared to SP/LP primers, SR/.223 primers take a bit more effort to seat.

As long as they are seated slightly below flush when you run your finger tip, I wouldn't worry about the extra effort needed to seat them.

 

[hawkeye10]

When I am seating SR primers, it will take firm two thumb pressure on the Lee XR hand primer and extra firm pressure for .223 primers. Compared to SP/LP primers, SR/.223 primers take a bit more effort to seat.

As long as they are seated slightly below flush when you run your finger tip, I wouldn't worry about the extra effort needed to seat them.

Thanks BDS this has helped a lot. Don

 

[GLOOB]

When you have to squeeze that hard, how does this give you more feel? Try priming on your press, man.

 

[Fishslayer]

What brand primers? I've found I really need to lean on my press lever to get CCI LPP fully seated in the pockets. Winchester (softer) not so much. I believe rifle primers are also harder than pistol.

x2 for priming on the press.

 

[icanthitabarn]

I guess the little rod in the primer is flat end up?